How to remove I Have Bad News For You

I Have Bad News For You is one of sextortion scams that can leave baffled users out of money

I Have Bad News For You is an elaborate scheme that belongs to the extortion scam category. According to the FBI, the number of such felonies increased drastically over the summer, and it seems like blackmailing campaign is not going anywhere anytime soon.^[1] Bad actors send out thousands of emails to victims around the world, hoping that many will pay due to blackmailing techniques used. The attack begins with a subject line in the email, typically showing users’ password or other sensitive information. Crooks behind I Greet You I Have Bad News For You imply that malware that injected into the user’s PC allowed them to record an embarrassing video by using systems’ camera and obtain all the social media information. Allegedly, if the victim does not pay the demanded ransom of $813 in Bitcoin, all the compromising material will be sent to victim’s friends and family. However, I Have Bad News For You is merely a scam and should not be trusted.

There are many similar email campaigns created (I am a spyware software developer email scam, I’m a programmer who cracked your email scam, There is nothing hidden that is not shown, Porn Blackmail, and many others), and it is not known how many different groups are using this technique, although there has been evidence discovered that even organized crime might be involved in scams like I Have Bad News For You.

What should you do if you received the email saying that it will expose your personal pictures or videos to your dearest people? Do not pay ransom is the first answer. DO NOT contact these cybercriminals, as it will only encourage them to send out more phishing email. You should simply remove I Have Bad News For You email from your inbox after forwarding it to authorities.

To make I Have Bad News For You email more believable, scammers to go extra lengths. They explain the whole situation as follows:

In the software of the router to which you were connected that day, there was a vulnerability. I first hacked this router and placed my malicious code on it. When you entered in the Internet, my trojan was installed on the operating system of your device. After that, I made a full dump of your disk (I have all your address book, history of viewing sites, all files, phone numbers and addresses of all your contacts).

All of the above is fake and, and crooks simply want to intimidate regular users, especially those who have no idea how malware works. Where did they get your password? From previous data breaches, such as Radisson Hotel data breach,^[2] Ticketmaster breach,^[3] and many others.

I Have Bad News For You removal from your inbox might not be enough, however. Even if the chance that your machine has been compromised is pretty low, it is still a possibility. Therefore, if you received suspicious emails, or noticed any other unnatural behavior on your PC, scan with FortectIntego, SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, or other security software.

Also, some sextortion scams have been noticed spreading GandCrab ransomware recently. Therefore, it is another good reason to keep your system secure from malware by installing reputable security solution.

Phishing emails are here to stay: here’s how not to fall for them

Social engineering attacks are often used by cybercriminals to reach their goals – which usually involves money extortion. Sextortion campaign works so well because it uses several layers of deceit, scaring the vulnerable and anxious recipients. Therefore, the best way to avoid getting caught off guard is by learning how to recognize the malicious email. Experts suggest following these steps:

• Do not panic, and read the email carefully;
• Check if the message is located in the Spam box (although some emails manage to pass through the built-in scanners);
• Enter the subject line or the first sentence of the fake message into Google Chrome or other browser and look for results – if it is actually a scam, there will be hundreds of forum/blog posts or articles about the compromised email;
• Scan your machine with reputable anti-malware software;
• Consult online communities on forums, security sites and similar – do not make rational decisions!

Also, remember that phishing emails might contain malware in the attachments, so make sure you first scan them using anti-virus software before opening.

Do not contact cybercrooks and delete I Greet You I Have Bad News For You message

As we already mentioned, do not contact criminals at all times. Instead, you should contact your local authorities that deal with fraud (they will most likely ask you to forward the phishing email so do not remove I Have Bad News For You just yet). Then we highly recommend you scan your system for malware using security software like FortectIntego, SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes to make sure that none of the cyber infections managed to slip through.

After that, you can take care of I Greet You I Have Bad News For You removal from your Inbox, although it is not mandatory. Experts also advise to change all passwords that you use and employ a password manager that could keep your accounts safe. Remember, never reuse your old passwords or use them for multiple accounts!